


First Date

by peppermintquartz



Series: Beautiful Stranger [3]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bayley is a good friend, Becky is a Good Sister, First Date, Fluff, M/M, egregious use of Google for San Diego Zoo references
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-22 08:50:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17056652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppermintquartz/pseuds/peppermintquartz
Summary: Finn and Seth are going on their first date.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably a two-chapter fic.

It's a Friday night but Finn is too tired to go out. He's lying on the sofa with his arm thrown over his eyes and only groans when he is prodded in his side. “Go away.”

“I want a foot rub, you fatass.” Becky slaps the top of his thighs. “You're taking up the entire space.”

“Can't you lurk in your own room?” Finn complains, but he sits up anyway. “Thought you'd be Skyping your girlfriend. Or whatever they call sexting these days.”

Becky settles down sidelong and sprawls with her bare feet in his lap. “She's busy with media appearances and then some gala dinner thing. Bay-bay's coming over in a bit with Japanese. What's got your panties in a bunch? Ya look damper than sock mold.”

He side-eyes her. “I should have let you get your fuckin' ass kicked when you were a kid. Then I wouldn't have to live with you now.”

“Too bad for ya, chump.” She wiggles her toes. He sighs and makes a big show of rolling his eyes, but he begins massaging her feet anyway. She relaxes and leans into the arm of the chair. “Thanks. Joe's a damn sadist, I swear to God."

"You're the one who chose to work for him."

"I get lotsa tips just to show some cleave and Joe'll probably maim any fella who tries something funny." Becky stretches overhead. "Now spill. You're going out with that Seth dude this coming Monday, aren't ya? If I'd known he was your type, I'd have set you two up sooner.”

“Yeah, I am. I'm just really nervous about it.”

Before Finn can explain what he's worried about, the doorbell rings. Becky bends her knees so he can go get the door, and in a couple of minutes Bayley's in the cramped living room and laying out the food. Finn detours to the kitchen to wash his hands, returning with bottles of Guinness for himself and Becky, and Bayley's preferred microbrew.

“Okay, I know why Becky and I are not going out on a Friday night, but why aren't _you_ out with that cutie you met on Wednesday?” Bayley hands out chopsticks for the sushi and little sauce packs of wasabi.

Finn expertly separates his chopsticks and picks out his favorite – Bayley got him four extra _amaebi_ sushi and he's not going to let Becky steal them. “He's been running classes all day today from six in the morning, and he has to do that tomorrow and Sunday again, so we agreed to go out on his day off. Monday.”

“Where are you going?” Bayley asks.

“Well...” Finn is inexplicably shy about this, even though he's known Becky since she was a little six-year-old girl in pigtails threatening to fight a bully five years her senior, and Bayley's been one of his best friends since they met when he was seventeen. Come to think of it, he's played pretend boyfriend for them both. “I suggested the zoo. I mean, he's new to the city, so you know. Sightseeing.”

“The zoo? That is so lame,” Becky teases. She manages to steal one of the _amaebi_.

Bayley smacks Becky's chopsticks with her own. “I think it's sweet,” she says loyally. “Zoos are fun places and there is no expectation in that other than having fun, and I know you are going to have a great time.”

Finn certainly hopes so. He loves the zoo. He's lived here for three years with Becky and he has made it a point to visit it at least once a month. A couple of guys he tried to date thought he was childish for that, but how is Finn to explain why he enjoys spending half a day just observing various animals living their lives? That prior to the US, he's never gone out to family-friendly places with another guy on dates? That his own parents never took him to the zoo, the ten years he was with them?

He must have looked pensive, because Becky drinks from the bottle directly and burps. She's only extra-rude when he's down, and grins when he glares at her.

“Bayley and I get to pick your outfit for your date,” she says. “Fashion show after dinner.”

“Becks, I'm not gonna put on a fashion show, I'm just gonna go with a pair of jeans and a tee.”

Instead of supporting Finn as he expected, Bayley shakes her head. “Nope. We're gonna pick out the best outfit.”

“Something that says 'I wanna get laid' in big loud easy-to-read letters. Maybe that pair of red jeans, you know, the obscenely tight one.”

“Oh my god Becky, no, he'd be thrown out of the zoo wearing that, it leaves nothing to the imagination!” Bayley covers her cheeks, laughing. “Leave that for their second date.”

Finn decides he needs more _amaebi_ and beer to survive this.

***

Seth has almost forgotten how good Roman sounds on the phone until he calls, and then he puts it on speaker because he is trying to make dinner and talk at the same time. It isn't a coincidence that Roman is Seth's bisexual awakening, though just two days after Seth realized he wanted Roman to do nasty things to him with those big arms, he learned that Roman was in a relationship with another guy. Still, they became good friends. Roman's the guy Seth goes to when he needs advice and comfort. He's never been more grateful for that friendship than after that mess with Hunter.

“ _What's he like?”_ Roman asks.

“He's got the most amazing blue eyes, and this big smile that's like morning sunshine,” Seth says. “And he blushes, Ro, he fucking blushes when he's complimented, it's adorable. And his accent! I will listen to him read a motherfucking textbook on accounting and not mind at all.”

A new voice cuts in. _“Is this about that cute artist guy you met at the coffee shop?”_

Seth groans. “Ro, you didn't say you were on speaker!”

“ _I was putting away groceries, of course I was on speaker.”_

“ _And hello to you too, Sethie boy,”_ says Dean in his most obnoxious tone. _“Hey, describe his ass, yeah? Inquiring minds an' all.”_

Seth rolls his eyes although he's all alone in his one-bedroom apartment. He's lucked out getting this place and he knows it; the rent is affordable, the location is amazing, and Sasha is paying him well. “I am not describing the ass of a guy I like to you, perv. Plus you already snagged two of the prettiest people in the States. I ain't letting you get one more.”

“ _Seth Rollins, you're a spoilsport and I hope he's a lousy lay.”_

Another person chimes in, this one a cheery and bright female voice. _“Sorry about that, Seth, Dean has not met a single manner in his entire life.”_

“Renee, heya!” Seth grins. He loves Renee and misses her fiercely. She's the one person who can keep Dean in line when Roman isn't around, and she is funny and sarcastic. “I saw your Insta post just now, the one with that red velvet jacket? Did you buy it?”

“ _No I didn't!”_ Renee wails. _“Mean Dean dragged me away before I could try it on. He's so stingy, Seth, it's horrible going out with him. I want my shopping buddy back!”_

Amid Dean's admonition that Renee doesn't need yet another jacket and Renee's increasingly comical name-calling, Roman takes the phone and resumes the conversation, presumably not on speaker.

“ _So why did you call?”_ Roman asks quietly. He must have left the two squabbling in the kitchen.

Seth fumbles with the cling film that he's covering the dish with. Then he pops the fish into the microwave and sets the time to four minutes. “I just missed you guys.”

“ _Mm hmm. And?”_

“And I'm nervous,” Seth admits, picking up his phone to give his hands something to fidget with. “He asked me out to the zoo, Ro, the goddamn San Diego zoo. He's not looking for just a hookup, y'know, not if our first date is at a _zoo_.”

“ _That's nice.”_ Roman chuckles, sounding devastatingly sexy. Once upon a time, Seth would have had very dirty thoughts about that laugh, but he's more or less immune now. _“What's the worst that could happen then?”_

Seth bites the knuckle of his thumb. “What if he's a smoker? What if he chews with his mouth open? What if he owns an SUV?” He pauses, eyes growing wide. “What if he's _Republican?_ ”

“ _Wait, an SUV is a deal-breaker?”_

“Carbon footprint, Ro, we gotta do our bit,” Seth says primly.

Roman snorts. He has an SUV. _“Well, ditch him if he's Republican, but I'm sure you'll grow to accept the other things if he's a good dude. Even if he drives an SUV.”_

Seth sighs and scrubs the back of his head. “I don't wanna screw this up, man. What would you say are horrible things I do that I really shouldn't do, ever?”

“ _Doubt yourself.”_

“Ro, I'm serious.”

“ _So am I.”_ Roman laughs again; Dean has found him, apparently, and they are pretend-fighting for the phone.

The sounds of a mild scuffle ends with Dean on it. _“My boy, you better take lots of pictures of your artist, yeah? Renee bets that he's not as cute as this new art teacher in her school, and I'm betting he is.”_

“You mean Renee says my guy is cuter and you think he isn't,” Seth corrects, grinning.

“ _And take pictures of his ass!”_ Dean adds, ignoring Seth's comment. _“Alright, an update: your mom is still on vacation with her new beau, and her plants are doing just fine. Hang on, Ro wants to talk to ya. Probably give you some advice and shit.”_

"Thanks, Dean," says Seth, mostly for the update about his mom. He still feels a little guilty leaving, but she was the one who told him to spread his wings. Dean's her physiotherapist and has promised to keep an eye on her for Seth.

Roman sounds amused when he gets the phone.  _"Listen, Seth. Whatever happened here is past and buried, okay? You're a good guy. We all believe in you. You just have to believe in yourself more."_

There was a time when they couldn't. Seth makes himself thank Roman as nonchalantly as he can, and then sends his love to Renee and Dean before he hangs up. 

He must have been a saint in his past life to deserve those three, he thinks. Despite their reassurances that they have forgiven him, Seth still feels wretched when he recalls how he betrayed their trust to win Hunter's approval. At least he came to his senses almost immediately and told Roman, whose lawyers then took care of the problem. It still scares him sometimes when he thinks about how close he'd come to burning down Roman's entire career.

The microwave distracts him with a loud 'ding'. As he plates his dinner (steamed fish with a salad on the side, how grown-up), he wonders if Roman is right, that he tends to doubt himself too much. Maybe he should trust himself more. After all, he has won at least one date with Finn, so clearly he has something going for him.

Maybe he should test out a few outfits and ask for Renee's opinions before the date.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Feeling antsy from his morning accident, Seth waits downstairs with his backpack when Finn pulls up in a black Honda. It's a hybrid. Seth makes a mental note to be smug about this to Roman later.

Finn climbs out, all smiles, and looking edible in a black graphic tee and tight black jeans. The design is abstract, circles and triangles forming a pyramid. When he comes round the car, Seth laughs with surprised delight. Finn's shoes are ridiculously bright – aqua and pink, of all things, with glittery purple laces.

Today's weather is mild, unlike the blustery day they met, and Seth feels his heart flip in a manner that is familiar by now when Finn comes close. His poor heart has been doing that ever since they met, exchanged numbers, and started texting. Each time a message from Finn pops up, a huge smile will materialize on Seth's face. Sasha is mostly exasperated by it, although she never tells him to stop reading his texts between classes.

“Have you been waiting long?” Finn asks. He's holding a travel mug that he passes to Seth before Seth could answer.

“Not really,” Seth says. “Just about five minutes.”

“Okay, good. I'd hate to have kept you waiting.”

Opening the travel mug, Seth sniffs and almost melts into the sidewalk. “You got me coffee _,_ ” he whispers, awed. He takes a sip and nearly swoons. It's cortado made the way he loves it. “This is _perfect_ , thank you thank you thank you. Oh my god, this is the best date ever.”

Finn sticks his hands into his pockets and scuffs the toe of his right boot. His cheeks and the tops of his ears are bright pink. “You're welcome. Come on, we have to hustle to beat the crowd.”

“I didn't know The Coffee Hug opened this early,” says Seth, getting into the passenger seat. He cradles the mug of coffee like it is the holy grail.

Finn turns pinker. “It doesn't. I made Becky teach me how to make your drink.”

Now it is Seth's turn to blush. It's a sweet gesture, and totally unexpected for a first date. He hasn't prepared anything for Finn. “Um. Thank you. Really.”

“Damn, I made this awkward.” Finn exhales heavily and merges into another lane. “It's, uh... Well. I mean, it's really fucking early in the morning, you know? And I'm aware most guys our age aren't into zoos and all that shit. Not for a date anyway. Just thought I'd make it up to you for all that.”

“Most guys our age? Dude, I'm only twenty-seven. Don't say it like we're doddling old grumps.”

“My bad, you young whippersnapper.”

“Anyway, I haven't been to zoos often,” says Seth. “I grew up in a small town, so it's not like the zoos were fancy, and once I could drive it was work, work, work. So I am excited about going to the San Diego zoo with you.”

“The early morning?”

“You made me cortado the way I love it. You're already forgiven.” Seth grins at Finn via the rear view mirror, and is rewarded with Finn's sunny smile. “I'm more curious about your shoes though.”

Finn snorts. “Bayley – you remember her? The one with the ponytail – won a bet and therefore, I have to wear 'unicorn kicks'.”

Seth laughs. “What bet did you lose?”

“No, I didn't lose the bet, Becky did,” Finn clarifies. Then he launches into a story of the previous Friday evening when the girls had dinner with him and then made him try on a dozen outfits for his date. “So the jeans are Becky's idea, the tee shirt inside and my shoes are Bayley's.”

“I know you and Bayley are best friends,” says Seth, “but how did you know Becky?”

“She's my sister.” Finn grins at Seth. “Not in blood, but we're as close as. She's a goddamn brat, has always been, but I've been taking care of her since she was a wee lass.”

Seth can't help smiling. “A wee lass?” he repeats, trying to hit the correct intonation and doing a piss-poor job of mimicking Finn's accent. “Top o' the mornin' to ya, laddie.”

“Quit yer messin' and finish your coffee,” Finn scolds, still grinning. “You make a poor Irishman.”

It's the goddamn accent. Seth tells his heart to find some chill and fails. His heart flips, right on cue.

***

The zoo is not crowded – it _is_ a Monday, after all – but Finn hustles them inside. He has the annual pass, and buying Seth a ticket doesn't take long.

“Do you want to take the bus first? It's a guided tour,” Finn asks. He has a small messenger bag slung across his body.

Seth shrugs. “I place myself in your capable hands.”

 _Now that is a lovely thought._ Finn bites the inside of his cheek so he doesn't blurt that out. Seth looks like a young graduate student, with his long dark hair bound in a messy bun at the nape of his neck and his glasses perched on his nose. The gray v-neck tee clings to his pectoral muscles in a way that makes Finn feel hot under his collar. The hairy, strong forearms do not help either.

“Let's take the tram,” he says. To distract himself, he asks Seth what the crowned H stands for on his tee.

Seth glances down at what he's wearing and flushes. “I wasn't gonna wear this one to be honest. This was something from my former employee's.”

He seems so uncomfortable talking about it that Finn changes the subject. “What were you going to wear then? A suit?”

“Of course not. I was gonna wear my maroon henley, but I spilled my morning protein shake on it. Grabbed the nearest tee at hand and hurried downstairs.”

“You could've come shirtless.” Finn waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“Not on a first date,” Seth teases and winks.

Finn inwardly curses his fair skin.

They get on the tram and Finn makes sure Seth gets the seat on the right on the upper deck. Seth fishes out a baseball cap from his backpack while Finn puts on sunglasses. San Diego is keen to show off its best weather, even this close to Christmas.

The guide is so chirpy and young that she's almost irritating. Finn barely listens, focusing instead on Seth. Whenever they pass a rare and exotic creature, Seth's face lights up and he leans forward to see better. Wisps of his hair escape his hair tie and dance with the wind. Slightly more than half an hour later, they get off the bus, and Finn leads the way to the orang-utans.

“I didn't know they're that big,” Seth remarks once they spy the reddish-brown apes. One of them is chewing thoughtfully on a twig, though there's still fruit in the feeding container.

Finn digs out his sketchpad and doodles the thoughtful orang-utan. “The name means Man of the Jungle.”

“I can see why,” says Seth. He suddenly chuckles. “That ape reminds me of my History teacher.”

“Was he ginger?”

“Totally. He looked like Adam Savage, but without the childlike glee.” Seth glances at Finn, eyes bright. “Do you like Mythbusters?”

Finn shrugs, pausing his hatching in of the ape's fur. “I've never watched it.”

“You've never watched Mythbusters? Dude, you gotta. One lazy weekend, you and me, lots of popcorn, Mythbusters marathon.” Then Seth seems to realize what he's just said and turns bright red. “I-I mean, if you want to. Sometime. Doesn't have to be a date or anything.”

“I'd like that,” says Finn.

They stroll along, quipping and laughing (“There's no such _thing_ as a hippopotato, oh my god, you are making _dad_ _jokes_ , how old are you really?”). Finn takes a picture of Seth making a goofy face next to the glass of the enclosure where a hippo is resting, and Seth waits patiently while Finn sketches the tigers.

Then Finn gets them to the giant pandas. They have to walk the full exhibit, but the pandas are out and active, so it isn't too bad. Bai Yun is lounging against a rock, while Xiao Liwu busies himself with some bamboo shoots a few paces away from his mother. There are some kids squealing over how cute the two pandas are, but the crowd isn't too thick yet.

Seth's eyes are so wide with childlike wonder that instead of sketching in the pandas, Finn quickly doodles his date's expression. He's really glad he asked Seth to come to the zoo.

“They're so _cute_ ,” Seth gushes. “I want seventy of them.”

“Do you have a bamboo forest?”

“You're a spoilsport.”

Finn grins. It's easy to joke with Seth, almost as easy as it used to be when Finn was with Sami. That's reassuring. With Hideo, Finn had little opportunity to tease, whereas Drew preferred to laugh at Finn than with him. Seth gives as good as he gets.

They pass the grizzly bears (“I'm not that into bears,” Seth says, and Finn says “Really?” in the most innocent manner he can manage, which earns him an elbow to the ribs.) and then they get to Finn's favorite part of the zoo. He practically bounds over to the giraffe enclosure.

Seth catches up at a relaxed amble. “I'm gonna guess you like giraffes.”

“They're so funny-looking,” Finn points out. “Knobbly knees and crazy long neck. Did you know they have blue tongues?”

As if on cue, one of the giraffes sticks out its huge tongue, wraps it around a twig, and pulls off all the leaves.

“Wow.” Seth nods. “That is definitely an impressive trick for a blowjob.”

For a second Finn just stares agape at Seth, whose eyes grow wide and cheeks turn pink when he realizes what came out of his mouth. Then Finn just bursts out laughing so hard he has to bend over.

“It's not _that_ funny,” Seth protests weakly.

“You... that tongue... blowjob trick,” Finn wheezes. There are actual tears in the corners of his eyes. “First date! First date!”

Seth is laughing too. He's practically cackling. “I'm sorry! But in my defense, that was really just too suggestive!”

The two glance at each other and dissolve into giggles again. Finn has to brace himself by gripping Seth's bicep, and Seth covers his mouth to stop himself from sparking off another round of hilarity. They are saved by a family of five running over, so Seth tugs Finn away from the source of their giggle fit.

Thankfully, the other animals don't have long tongues to remind them of the moment with the giraffes. Seth goes all gooey and soft on seeing cheetahs and their dog companions. Finn thinks he should buy Seth a toy panda and a toy cheetah later. The koalas are all resolutely refusing to move, so it's easy for Finn to draw them, and even doodles one sitting on Seth's head, titling it 'dropbear attack'.

The elephants are waiting for their spa treatment, but Seth isn't too keen on the metal cages. “I want to visit an elephant sanctuary someday,” he tells Finn. “There's something about their eyes. Almost like they have an infinite well of sadness.”

“These are treated well though,” Finn says. He sees what Seth means. On his sketchpad appears a closeup of an elephant's eye, and makes a note on the side to develop it into a full drawing.

They hop on a Kangaroo Bus to go all the way to the back of the zoo to stop at the polar bears and arctic foxes. While they watch the snow-white bears cavorting in the water, they debate the merits of having polar bears away from their Arctic environment.

Finn says, “They still have it miles better than the polar bear in tropical Singapore though. He was born there, never saw real snow in his life.”

“Have you been to Singapore?”

“On a stopover to Japan, yeah. Haven't really visited the country though.”

Seth looks impressed. “You've been to lots of places in the world.”

Finn glances at his unicorn sneakers. How much does he share? He settles for saying, “I have. But this is the first place that really feels like home.”

Seth bumps him with his arm. “I'm glad you're here.”

“Me too,” he says, and bumps back.

***

Last night, Seth was worried that he wouldn't like the zoo, but he's had a lot of fun walking around with Finn up and down hilly slopes and looking at animals he's only ever seen in nature documentaries or in movies. 

This is the least stressful date he has ever been on. After he found out he was bisexual, he's gone on multiple dates with men and women, and it's always with the expectation of trying to impress them or trying to get laid. With Finn, they are just admiring the different beasts or cracking silly animal jokes.

Of course, every time he looks at Finn, he wants to kiss him. The Irishman's mouth is far too damn red and tempting. Seth doesn't ask, though. He's uncharacteristically nervous. The guys he went on dates before really were in it for the sex.

Finn seems different. This date with Finn feels like the start of something that can be long term.

Finn's sketchpad is always at the ready. He draws fast, too, his pencil scratching quietly and quickly before they move on. Seth lingers at a few, just to steal glances at Finn drawing. Once he's focused on his page, he cocks his head a little and the tip of his tongue pokes out. It's adorable. Seth may have stealthily taken a picture or two.

(He's taken at least five.)

(He especially likes the one when they were at the antelopes.)

As they pass by a poster with giraffes on it, Seth inwardly cringes at the memory of his blowjob remark. Thank goodness Finn saw the hilarity in it. It's all Dean's fault, really; he's so casually inappropriate all the time that Seth has absorbed his worst traits. That is going to be Seth's excuse, anyway.

They are heading back to the entrance now, having spent nearly three hours traipsing about. Seth goes to the washroom. He wonders when would be a good time to ask Finn out on another date, and where they should go. The Mythbusters marathon is for another day, far in the future – he feels warm and happy imagining that he and Finn may be seeing each other for some time.

Since he's in the washroom, he ducks into a stall and texts his friends for ideas. He also adds ' _Not u Dean'_ just to be very clear that this is serious.

Renee is the sensible one who links him to a website with ideas for dates in San Diego.

***

Finn feels stupid, but he has already bought the dumb thing while Seth is in the washroom. It will be even dumber for him to go back to the shop to return it. But to give it to Seth on their first date seems... silly. Frivolous.

 _Ugh. How am I still so bad at this?_ Finn is still dithering over whether to return his purchase when Seth returns, wiping his damp hands on his thighs.

“They're out of paper towels,” he explains. His hair is down and he sweeps it back into a ponytail. The back of his neck is red from the sun.

Finn feels like words are locked in his throat. He doesn't want the date to end, but they have been here for hours. It'll be a shame for a great date to turn out terrible because Finn has dragged it out too long.

They are on the way to Finn's car when Seth finally notices the bag in Finn's hand. “What did you get?”

“Um.” Finn swallows a couple of times. “Here. For you.”

“For me? You shouldn't have,” says Seth. When he peeks into the bag, it is as if his entire face brightens with joy. “You got me a stuffed panda?”

Finn smiles shyly. “Well, I can't get you seventy of the real ones, but I figured you wouldn't mind one stuffed toy.”

The toy is clearly a hit. Seth beams at him. He's stepping closer to Finn, like he's thinking of hugging or kissing him, when someone blares a horn at them both.

Finn nearly jumps out of his skin. He glares at the other driver but hurries to his Honda. Seth is still smiling like a child on Christmas morning when he gets into the vehicle. He takes the toy out of the bag and hugs it.

“It's so _plush_ ,” he coos. “Oh my god, I finally understand why girls love this shit. It's the best present I've ever got on a date.”

Hearing that made Finn a lot more relaxed. He reaches around to put his bag in the back seat, and as he turns back he realizes how close he and Seth are.

Seth is gazing at him, his expression soft and open. Finn licks his lips, his mouth suddenly dry. They watch each other's micro-expressions, before they both lean closer.

There is the slightest hint of nervousness in Seth's voice when he whispers, “May I kiss you?”

“Yes,” Finn replies on a breath.

It's a chaste kiss, just a firm, slow press of mouths, just them kissing in the middle of a crowded parking lot in the middle of a Monday afternoon, and Finn thinks his heart may just explode out of his chest from how much he wants Seth to keep kissing him, forever.

They _fit_ together. Seth smells really nice up close, even with a hint of sweat from the day's walk, and his lips are softer than Finn has dared to imagine. His beard tickles in a way that makes Finn want to smile and rub his cheek along the scruff.

They separate when they hear another driver leaning hard on the horn. Finn's lips are tingling. He can't even muster enough irritation to swear at the other driver. Instead, he just drives them back to town.

“Do you wanna grab lunch first?” Finn asks.

“Only if it's my treat.”

“That sounds fair.” He smiles at Seth. “Any suggestions?”

Seth wrinkles his nose before digging out his phone to search. “I've been cooking most of my own meals,” he explains, “so... ah. There's this burger place. Good Brothers?”

“Ah.” Finn bites his lower lip. “Um. Couple of my friends own it. If we go, there's gonna be lots of comments.”

“In that case, nope. Next time, maybe.” Seth scrolls down the page. “You okay with Vietnamese?”

“Love it.”

“Okie dokie.” Seth sets the GPS location and pops his phone on the console between them. Then he says, quiet and worried, “I'm not being presumptuous in assuming there is a next time, right?”

Finn grins. “No. Not at all.”

“Okay. That's, um, that's cool.” Seth looks out the passenger window, holding the stuffed panda on his lap. “I wonder if you're free tomorrow evening. I hear there's a vintage arcade on Sixth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter.”

When Finn glances over at his date, the tips of Seth's ears are glowing pink. He smiles to himself and replies, “Sure. I look forward to it.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hit the subscribe to series button because I will post short scenes from different characters' POV and there will be different ships.


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